Europain 2014 to discuss industry shifts

November 15th, 2013

Europain 2014 will be presenting and illustrating industry changes, including increased health awareness and higher demands on quality and speed.

Here are some shifts that will be covered at the show:
· Healthier baking
· Contemporary bakeries for all-day consumption
· Design, collections and perfect matches to suit every taste
· Faster, more practical and without compromising quality
· Pastries are now lighter and on-the-go items

The bakery sector is changing in step with society: people are spending less time eating meals while demands for quality and traceability are increasing.

“How can we reconcile healthy products made on the spot with these new constraints of fast preparation and tighter budgets?” asked Jean-Pierre Crouzet, a baker by profession, and chairman of the French National Bakers’ and Pastry-makers’ Confederation (CNBF). “That is the challenge facing bakers, who have become businessmen in a rapidly changing local economy.”

Europain, which will be held at Paris-Nord Villepinte from Mar. 8 to 12, will showcase new products and innovative equipment in all the categories represented at the exhibition, as well as the 2014 Europain Innovation Trophies and Intersuc Collections. A panel of experts will award prizes to the most innovative equipment, products and services presented by exhibitors. For the first time there will be a new selection criterion: an oral examination enabling Europain Innovation candidates to defend their products in front of the selection committee.

Here is a glimpse of some competitions and contests at next year’s Europain. The Bakery Masters and International Confectionery Art Competition will take place in the cube, a 4,000-metre competition area. The French Schools Cup, for its part, will be held in an area dedicated exclusively to promising new talents. The Road to Success will present bakery/pastry-making and restaurant concepts in an area covering more than 1000 metres. Linking Europain and SuccessFood, this area will be a life-size source of inspiration for professionals wishing to start up or reinvent their business.

A feature of the 2014 SuccessFood exhibition will be the emphasis on coffee as a new source of business for restaurant owners and bakers. Latte art, barista and cup tasting contests and practical demonstrations will show how this product can offer added quality and profit to professionals who wish to diversify their menu.

“Three hundred years ago, bakeries produced bread and that was all. Then pastries gradually appeared followed by cakes, sandwiches and now entire meals,” explained Crouzet. “This change is inherent in the transformations taking place in our consumer society, and is to be welcomed provided that the bakery’s image of neighbourhood service and quality is maintained.”

Since the future of baking lies in the hands of apprentices, the Rue des Écoles will present basic and advanced training courses in this field.

“Studies prove that bakers who have followed a training course succeed better. They learn technical skills and respect for the products they use. There is a difference between aptitude and ability,” recalled Crouzet.

Statistics from OpinionWay and Trieze show that the French tend to choose their baker on the strength of his or her know-how (73 per cent), the quality of his or her bread (72 per cent) and the fact that it is produced from A to Z at the place where it is sold (60 per cent).